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MONDAY, AUGUST 4, 2025

VOLUME 119 - ISSUE 41 Not officially associated with the University of Florida

Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

From Hulk Hogan to the hot seat: Alachua board chair faces state backlash A PARENT SPOKE OUT. A BOARDROOM ERUPTED. DID ANYONE BREAK THE RULES?

By Sara-James Ranta Alligator Staff Writer

Jordan Klucharich // Alligator Staff

Sara Stovall and Grant Peeples perform at Heartwood Soundstage on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025. Read more in The Avenue on pg. 6.

Florida’s top education official wants Alachua County School Board Chair Sarah Rockwell to face repercussions after a contentious public comment period spiraled out of control July 31. In an Aug. 1 letter, Florida Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas accused Rockwell of allegedly violating a parent’s constitutional right during the board meeting. He called her behavior “inexcusable” and urged the State Board of Education to withhold “an amount equal to the salaries of all board members” from the district. “You should be ashamed of your failure as a board member, let alone the board chair,” Kamoutsas

wrote. “I think it’s time for some reflection on whether you are properly equipped to serve.” Kamoutsas wrote that by “publicly humiliating” the parent for his views, Rockwell created a “chilling effect” on all parents with similar beliefs. He ended the letter by stating Rockwell should not apply to renew her teaching certificate, writing he would “not permit her” to hold one. The commissioner’s rebuke caps off a volatile week for the Alachua County School Board – one that began with a Facebook post about the death of celebrity wrestler Hulk Hogan and ended in political condemnation, threats against Rockwell’s family and a board meeting that broke into chaos. The letter elevated a local boardroom dispute into a statewide test of facts over whether a parent’s rights were infringed or whether the events were mischaracterized.

SEE ROCKWELL, PAGE 4

Residents of Gainesville apartment complex worry about water safety Residents lost water several times in recent years By Logan McBride Alligator Staff Writer

Residents of the Aqua at Windmeadows apartment complex say they’ve lost water countless times over the years, but this summer, it’s only gotten worse. Hallie Bell, a 24-year-old Gainesville resident, has lived at the complex for three years. She’s documented 19 separate occasions where

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT

Graduate Assistants Story description finish United with comma, Graduate student union reaches pg# impasse. Read more on pg. 4.

the water has been shut off, anywhere from a few hours to “multiple days” without water, she said. “There are constant breaks in the piping,” Bell said. “There will be a bit of rain, or something like that will happen, and then the water will be shut off.” Bell lives with her boyfriend, Dante, and she said the water issues have consistently hindered their lives as young working people. The water

will often turn off in the mornings as she’s going to work, causing her to have to skip a shower. Bell added that the complex fell under a “boil water notice,” meaning residents are recommended to boil their water before consuming it. She doesn’t know if the notice has been investigated since, she said, leaving her unsure about the safety of water consumption in the complex. Bell believes the pipes are the biggest reason for the outages. Rather than replace the pipes,

Color Compass

Organizations increase access to school supplies, pg. 5

The Avenue: Sydney Sweeney

American Eagle ad stirs controversy, pg. 6

(352) 376-1834

she said the complex puts “band-aids on bullet holes” by carrying out minor repairs that don’t last. “Some of our neighbors are disabled,” Bell said. “They can’t go anywhere when the water goes out, and sometimes they’re left multiple days without water, and there’s no rent abatement.” Bell reached out to government agencies about issues within the complex, including Alachua County Code Administration and the Flori-

SEE APARTMENT, PAGE 3

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